Tension
by SheDevil2050
Summary: Katara is feeling bad about fighting Ty Lee, and is in Zuko's debt. Throw Toph's excellent match making, and a little earthbending, for some released tention.


Why hello, fellow writers/readers. Just a fun oneshot for you.

Katara awoke with a jolt, sitting straight up in the dead night. She looked around the dark room, until she remembered where she was. It took her a minute to settle down.

She was in the Fire Palace. They had one the war, the Fire Lord was imprisoned, as well as Azula. Of course they hadn't gone out untouched. Katara had spent the entire day healing the wounded.

Iroh had taken the throne, after Zuko politely refused it. But Iroh was getting old. Iroh had shared with the group that he would stay and rebuild the Fire Nation, but once that was taken care of he was going to move away from the Palace, to a different part of the Fire Nation. He had said that his plan was to visit all the tea houses in the Fire Nation, and then the world, teaching them a thing or to about brewing.

Katara glanced around her once again, and tried to remember why she had woken up. For the past two days she had been unable to sleep. This troubled her. At first she thought it was because of what had happened during the final battle with Ty Lee.

_And then Katara saw her. The acrobat Ty Lee, flipping threw the air. The gang could win the war without Katara, but her immediate healing was too good to let go of._

_As Ty Lee came closer, Katara stood to face her. She addressed her, and pleaded. "Ty Lee, don't come any closer. I don't want to… I—just don't come any closer."_

_Katara had tried to reason with her, because of the three, Ty Lee seemed the friendliest. She was nice, and always smiling and Katara did not want to do the only thing that she could, to stop her._

"_Sorry… Katara was it? But I have to. I didn't think there was compromise in war. If there was, I don't think that we would still be fighting." She smiled and jabbed her arms at Katara quickly._

"_Ty Lee please, I'm begging you. Please. Don't make me do it." Ty Lee stopped for a second to watch a tear run from Katara's eye, then she looked behind her and saw Aang, fighting ten or so fire benders. His back was to her, and it was the perfect oppertunity to end the war, and the Avatar. She back flipped and took off running toward him, her back to Katara._

_Katara tried to warn Aang, as a second to last resort. "Aang! Look out!" He could not hear her, and Ty Lee was practically on top of him at this point._

_Katara closed her eyes and tears snuck out from under her lids. Her eyes flew open and her hands moved to Ty Lee, who's body went riged and straight, mid somersault._

_She was upside down, and her pony tail thrashed wildly. "Hey!" She yelled._

_Katara moved her over in front of her. Ty Lee began to cry. "Let me down! Please! Stop!" Katara looked at Aang, her brother, Toph, and even Zuko. She looked everywhere but at Ty Lee._

"_I'm sorry… I can't." Katara held Ty Lee, until she started to cry even more. Katara yelled to Toph, who came over and rocked her to the ground. She put a hand on Katara's shoulder, and then ran off to fight along The Duke and Haru._

Katara shivered involuntarily and a tear rolled down her cheek. She hated Hama for what she made her do, but Ty Lee would have taken Katara and Aang out had she not learned to Blood Bend.

Katara jumped as a pillar of the wall behind her fell into the ground. Toph was standing in the walkway. Katara turned toward her. Toph said nothing for a couple of minutes. Then she spoke.

"Can't sleep?" She nodded in Katara's directing.

Katara spoke and shook her head at the same time. "No, not for the past few days."

Toph frowned a bit. "I know why."

By the look on Toph's face Katara knew she meant what had happened with Zuko. She didn't want to think it, because it all hurt too much.

_She had come in contact with the man who had killed her mother. Seeing him she became blind with rage. She threw the water everywhere, her target dodging easily. The man had her on her back in two minutes. She couldn't even fight. She just laid there, as she was sure her mother had, all those years ago._

_The man's hands became hot with flame, and he took a step back, as if he was in target practice and she was his target. The flame flew toward her, and had just started to feel warm when a flame that burnt a thousand times hotter stepped into it's path._

Katara didn't remember all of the details, but she watched as Zuko's Duo swords lay waste to her mother's killer.

The last thing she remembered was falling, unconscious, into his arms.

Katara looked up at Toph who was still standing there, leaning against the wall, waiting.

Katara snapped at her. "Well. What do you want me to do?"

Toph grinned. "Thank him."

Katara thought about it. Thanking him seemed sane enough. He had saved her life, and killed her mother's murderer… the least she could do was thank him.

She nodded and then stood. As she neared the door, she stopped. What would she even say. This was possibly going to be the most awkward conversation of her life. As she was about to turn around and go back to bed. Toph hooked her arm around Katara and led her out. "Come on, I'll go to!"

The walked down the maroon hallway and stopped at the Fire Prince's door. Katara hesitated, but Toph knocked twice, then flung the door open and shoved Katara into the room and disappeared into the floor of the Palace.

Katara felt her ears getting hot. She cursed. "I swear to— "

"Katara?" She couldn't finish. Zuko was sitting on the bed behind her, with his head against the pillow. He looked like he had been taking a nap. _DUH,_ Katara mentally slapped herself, for it was about eleven thirty at night.

"Uh… Never mind, I'll come back tomorrow!" She turned to leave.

"Katara, wait." Katara slowly turned, to see Zuko was right behind her. She gave up and faced him completely.

"I'm sorry about… that man. I just… I know what it's like to lose a mother, and I lost control. I'm so—I'm sorry." Zuko stuttered, trying to explain his actions. Katara chuckled a bit, and Zuko looked at her with question.

"Zuko… You don't have to explain yourself. If you hadn't of stepped in, I probably wouldn't be here right now." She trailed off. There was so much more she wanted to say. About her mother, about Zuko. She wanted to apologize for yelling at him, and being to nasty… and for not believing what he had said about his mother.

She looked at him, with his hair in his face, and his scar. He had been through so much and yet it had always been there, although she had missed it, the goodness in his eyes.

Katara reached up and brushed his black hair out of his eyes, her fingers lingering on his scar. They stayed like that for what seemed like hours.

Katara cleared her throat and put her hand by her side, Zuko looked at his feet.

"So I just wanted to say thanks… So uh… Thanks." The stared at each other, and then Katara nodded her head and turned to hurry out the door. Before she even made it through the door frame, a rock wall rose up out of the ground, blocking her exit.

She was about to yell at Toph when she felt a firm, warm hand on her wrist. She turned toward Zuko only to have her lips pulled right up to his. At first she was tense, but after a split second of realization she kissed him back.

In that moment they released the tension that had been built up for so long, as the wall that Toph had used to block Katara from leaving now became a support, with Katara leaned up against it, and Zuko leaned up against Katara.

* * *

Katara kicked in Toph's door. She didn't much care and besides, Toph could just make a new one if she wanted. Toph sat whistling on the floor. Katara stomped until she was directly in front of her.

She jabbed a finger in Toph's direction. "If you EVER even THINK about pulling a stunt like that again, I'll shun you for life." When Toph shrugged, Katara raised the stakes. "And I'll tell Sokka that you have a crush on him."

Toph crossed her arms and frowned, pouting.

Katara leaned forward, lowering her voice. "And another thing… Thanks."

Katara stood the remains of Toph's door against the wall and exited.

* * *

When Toph was sure that Katara was in bed, she kicked the floor hard, and received a cry from the next room over. She grinned.

So I hope you liked it. When I watched the blood bending episode I just got this feeling that Katara will have to use it on Ty Lee, because that is really the only way to stop her. It's actually kinda sad. Anyway, thanks for reading!

SheDevil


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